Frank Armstrong, Drop Kicker

by Matthew M. Colton

  CHAPTER X.

  PROFITS OF QUEEN'S FERRY.

  For a week after the wreck on Flat Rock, and the swim and rescuewhich followed, the Queen's Transportation Company did a rushingbusiness. People came from far and near to take a look at the boyswho were the central figures in the adventure, and incidentallythey took a trip on the _Black Duck_ itself. The boat was none theworse for its jaunt with a dead engine up the bay on that eventfulnight, but thereafter Frank carried an extra set of batteries for anysimilar emergency that might arise.

  Peters and his chum, Bates, had the _Nautilus_--Peters' boat--raisedand repaired. The injury done the boat in the storm was not great, asit happened that she had been driven into a bight in the rocks where,after she had sunk, the pounding of the waves did not reach her. Bothboys disappeared from Turner's Point. Later it was learned that theyhad gone to another shore resort, and they were seen no more aroundthe Point that summer. The whole incident was closed when Frank wasawarded the medal for the hundred-yard swim, the presentation beingmade by Burton himself. But it was a long time before the memory ofthat night swim left Frank and Jimmy. They could laugh about Jimmy'sexperience with the jelly fish now.

  "But it was no laughing matter when it happened," was Jimmy's onlycomment.

  About two weeks after the night in question the boys were seatedaround the big table in the Armstrong sitting room and Frank wasfiguring.

  "And there's the total for our summer's work," he said, pushing asheet covered with figures over to his father.

  Mr. Armstrong laid aside his magazine, took the sheet and ran hiseyes over the figures. "Pretty good," he said, smiling. "This meansthat you have about paid for your boat."

  "That's just about what it does," said Frank proudly. "Look, thereare our earnings--$132.00. Gasoline has cost us $17.25, oil $6.20,batteries $4.50, and we gave the old captain $5.00, and that leavesus .95 shy."

  "Figures all right, does it?" said his father. "Sure your totals arecorrect?"

  "Sure as shooting," said Jimmy. "We've been over them three times."

  "Nothing outstanding, no rides on the _Black Duck_ unpaid for?"

  "You bet they're not," said the Codfish. "I saw to it, as manager ofthis concern, that no one sneaked aboard without first surrenderinghis cash for our coffers."

  "Good, then," chuckled Mr. Armstrong. "I was about to give you adollar for that trip to Turner's Point, but I'll keep it."

  The boys looked at each other. "It's a fact," said Frank. "Dad gotpast you, Codfish," and they all laughed. "Pay up, Dad, but that wasonly fifty cents. Our fare was twenty-five cents."

  "Well," said Mr. Armstrong, laughing, "I'll pay you twenty-five centseach for mother and me, and fifty cents for the trip we didn't get.Here's your cash," and he laid down a new dollar bill.

  "Hurrah!" cried the Codfish, "that balances our account and fivecents to the good! This concern stands free of all debts and hasfive cents in the treasury. Captain Frank Webfoot Armstrong, wesalute you," and suiting the action to the word the boys all rose totheir feet and bowed gravely to the captain, who acknowledged thesalute with a joyful wave of the hand.

  "And to-morrow at about nine," said Frank, "we will pay our lastinstallment to Mr. Simpkins and the boat is ours. What say?"

  "Agreed," said the others.

  "And," added the Codfish, "let's take a vacation. I'm all worked toa frazzle with the responsibility of secretary, treasurer, manager,press agent, artist and general goat of this Transportation Company."

  "Poor old Codfish!" said Jimmy. "He speaks well."

  "He has the wisdom of a Solomon," cried Frank; "and besides, Jimmy,we ought to get in some work on football before we go back toQueen's. What would you fellows say if we were to tie the _BlackDuck_ up to the dock to-morrow and try a little drop kicking?"

  "Great," said Jimmy, "but where's the ball?"

  "You don't think I'd come down here without one, do you?" said Frankcontemptuously. "I brought a nice new one along with me and all weneed is a pump to blow it up with."

  "Oh, I've got a bike pump," said Lewis.

  "Just the thing," remarked Frank. "Shoot up and get it and we willput the ball in condition to-night."

  Lewis hurried off as fast as he could go and Frank dragged forththe football. The lacings were eased up, and when Lewis got back alittle later with his pump, the four of them set to work to inflatethe interior rubber bag. It was quite a job, as any one knows whohas tried it, but after much puffing and much struggling with thelacings, and much sage and useless advice from the Codfish, therubber bag was blown up tight and tied, and the ball was ready foruse. And the boys were also about ready for bed.

  It was with very deep pride that Frank, escorted by his threecompanions, rang the doorbell in the Simpkins house the next morning,and laid the last installment, a few minutes later, on the desk ofthe old gentleman himself, who sat there smiling pleasantly at theboys.

  "I admire your pluck, boys," he said. "Here's a receipt in full.Thank you for your promptness. If you do all your work in the worldas well as you have begun, you will surely succeed. I am glad tohave made your acquaintance and I shall always feel under a greatindebtedness to you, Master Armstrong."

  When they were outside, Jimmy said:

  "And I thought he was an old skinflint the first day we saw him aboutthe motor boat!"

  "You can't always tell how sweet an orange is by its skin," remarkedthe Codfish. "Now look at me----"

  "Yes, look at you," said Frank.

  "Drown him! drown him!" cried the boys, rushing at the Codfish. Theywere in high fettle this morning.

  With the receipt in full in his pocket, it was with a sense ofcomplete ownership that Frank stepped into the _Black Duck_ and tookthe wheel.

  "I want to thank you, fellows, for helping me," he said, turning tothe three. "We are part owners in this old craft."

  "Thank nothing," said Jimmy, who was as glad as Frank that the debthad been lifted. "Haven't we had all the good rides? She belongs toyou. We are only the able-bodied seamen."

  "Frank's right," said the Codfish, "we are part owners. I considerthat my services entitle me at least to the paint on her."

  "And much there is of it," said Frank, laughing. "But no matterwhat you say, she's as much yours as mine. And now for Seawall andfootball practice."

  "I wasn't much at _this_ game," said Lewis, "but football is where Ishine."

  "Shine like a bucket of mud," said the Codfish.

  Laughing and jollying each other in the highest spirits, they headedthe _Black Duck_ for Seawall. She shot ahead through the water like averitable duck.

  "Guess she knows who owns her this morning," observed Jimmy,grinning, as Frank laid her alongside the dock with a nicety ofcalculation as to speed and distance.

  The _Black Duck_ was tied up securely and the boys, after getting theball, made for the little playground which had been established bysome of the public-spirited citizens of Seawall several years beforeour story opens.

  "Where are your goal posts, kids?" inquired the Codfish, as theyhurried along. "You can't kick goals without something to kick at,sonny." This was directed at Frank.

  "Tut, tut," said that individual, "I've heard of people kicking goalswithout a ball. But I'm going to see whether I can kick the ballfirst or not."

  "Do you know anything about it?"

  "Not a thing. Horton showed me something about it one day last fall,and I've watched him coaching a lot. You just take the ball on a longpass from the center----"

  "And I'm the center," broke in Lewis.

  "Yes, you're the center, all right," said Frank. "Lewis passes theball. I catch it----"

  "You mean you catch it if you can," interrupted the Codfish.

  "Don't interrupt your superior officer, or I'll fire you," saidFrank. "As I was saying, I catch the ball, turn it around so that thelacing is up, and then drop it----"

  "The way Lewis used to drop it----"

  "Not quite, but I drop it end first on the ground, and give it aw
allop with my toe as it is rising."

  "Sounds very pretty," said the Codfish.

  "And what does Jimmy do?"

  "Oh, he lies on his stomach when we kick from placement and holds theball for me."

  "No work at all to that. I'd do that much any day," commented theCodfish. "But here we are. Now I'll take this very comfortable rusticchair here in the shade, and see how you put these theories intopractice. If I get warm I'll ask some of you to come over here andfan me," and he strolled over and dropped with a sigh of comfort intoa park bench. "Now let the fun begin."

  The fun began at once. On the first pass, Lewis threw the ball awayover Frank's head, and the next time dribbled it along the ground,but after half a dozen tries he finally got it to Frank, who made afair attempt at a drop kick. It wouldn't have filled Coach Hortonwith glee, but he managed to boot the ball a little distance.

  "Wonderful kick!" shouted the Codfish from his place in the shade ofthe tree. "Keep it up; you'll win the game in a minute. Wake me upwhen you do."

  Frank paid no attention, but continued to work steadily. Gradually hebegan to get the right angle on the ball as he dropped it from hishands. The kicks rose higher and truer as he went on. Jimmy watchedand criticised his friend, for although Jimmy knew very littleabout kicking the ball he was a natural football player. He kickedclumsily, but still he knew how it should be done, although he couldnot do it well himself.

  By the end of the practice the boys were covered with perspiration,for the day, although in the latter part of August, was hot in spiteof the sea breeze; and like everything that Frank entered into, hehad played with a tremendous zeal and concentration. Nothing washalf-hearted with him, and when other boys were with him in any ofhis enterprises, they caught his spirit.

  "All over for to-day, boys," cried the Codfish, coming forward,stretching, but assuming the tone of a coach. "That's enough, kids.Report at four to-morrow. Very rotten practice," he added, "at least,as much as I saw of it, for I'm free to confess that the humming ofthe bees and the song of the football put me to sleep."

  Together the four ambled back to the Armstrong cottage, where thethree heated boys exchanged their perspiration-soaked clothes forbathing suits, took a dip in the sea and swam a half dozen imprompturaces. They raced back and forth like so many dolphins, diving,swimming under water, splashing and shouting, then ran up the beach,rolled in the sand and dashed back into the water. After an hour ofthis they were ready to don regular clothes again.

  The first day of football practice was the index of many others likeit. The remaining mornings of vacation were given to the motor boatand the afternoons to drop-kicking practice, swimming and running. Astime progressed both Jimmy and Frank gained perceptibly in physicalcondition and even fat Lewis seemed less flabby. Finally came the dayof the Codfish's departure. He had long overstayed his visit as ithad been first planned.

  "I've got to get back home and lay in a new supply of duds," he said,"but I'll meet you at Queen's before another moon has waxed andwaned."

  He got a great send-off at the Seawall station as you may wellsuppose, for in spite of his rather odd ways and sarcastic tongue hewas a most likable boy.

  "He sees the funny side of everything," said Frank, as the Codfish,waving his handkerchief from the end of the fast-disappearing train,faded from view, "but he is true-blue all the way through."

  "Which is a rhyme, Mr. Armstrong," said Jimmy; "and while we are fondof athletes, we can't stand any more poets. We have one here with us,you know--Lewis."

  Lewis swelled up at this.

  For ten days more the three, now left alone, kept up their dailywork. September was ushered in by a few days of quite cold weather,and this gave them the chance to do more rugged football work. Frankand Jimmy practiced falling on the ball, Lewis acting the part of thecoach, who rolled the ball in their direction. Then they practicedpicking the ball up at full gallop, and after that they worked atgrabbing it on the bound.

  "Never could see the sense in falling on the ball, anyway," saidFrank, after he returned from a race down the field, having snatcheda bounding ball and tucked it securely under his arm, "particularlyif you have a clear field ahead of you."

  "Right-oh," returned Jimmy, "but you've got to be sure the field isclear. The old game used to be 'play it safe,' but in the new one itis all right to take a chance. But make it sure when you go afterit."

  "All right, Mr. Coach," said Frank. "I'm not such a shark at thisgame as you, but I'll do my best. My game is baseball. I don't thinkI'll ever be heavy enough for the gridiron. Do you think I will?"

  "Sure thing," said Coach Jimmy Turner. "I bet you'll make the teambefore you get through Queen's, and all the quicker when they findout that you're a drop kicker."

  "I'd like to make it," said Frank wistfully, "but I think I'd betterstick to baseball. I know a little about that game."

  Finally came the last day on the _Black Duck_, and they made it along cruise. They went down as far as the Point, circled Flat Rock,measuring the distance with narrowed eyes that they had coveredin the long night swim, and finally, the tide being right, evenpenetrated up the river as far as Tub Island, and then back throughthe tumbling water under the railroad bridge.

  The next day the _Black Duck_ was laid up for the winter in Berry'sboat house, and the boys, after a parting swim and run on the beach,said good-by to Seawall and turned their faces toward Queen's School.